Research indicates alternative contraception methods may help protect women.

Washington, DC - Transitioning away from a popular contraceptive shot known as DMPA could help protect women in Sub-Saharan Africa and other high-risk regions from becoming infected with HIV, according to a research review published in the Endocrine Society’s journal Endocrine Reviews.
The predominant contraceptive in Sub-Saharan Africa is depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)—a birth control shot administered every three months. Human studies suggest DMPA use may raise the risk of H

From NAM AIDSmap, Roger Pebody reports on two Toronto studies that shed light on how PrEP stigma is affecting PrEP uptake.

Two new qualitative studies from Toronto shed light on how stigma affects the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the experience of taking it. In the first, young gay men acknowledged that they did not always use condoms but did not see themselves as the kind of ‘barebacker’ for whom they thought PrEP was intended.
“PrEP embodies the notion of bareback sex, which traditionally has been associated with negative elements, and it is quite clear that the young gay men in this re

From FS Magazine, Matthew Hodson: "It’s taken us years to get this far, let’s not waste any more time."

New data released by Public Health England showed that HIV diagnoses across the country had fallen by 18%. Confined to just gay and bisexual men, the drop was 21%; narrow it even further to just gay and bisexual men in London and it was 29%.
The message is loud and clear: Combination HIV prevention works. Increasing testing and early access to treatment, plus adding PrEP to condom use as a safer sex strategy, gives us the power to send HIV into retreat. Why has it taken us so long to get here

The report, titled The World Drug PERCEPTION Problem was released on Tuesday by the Global Commission on Drug Policy. From The Globe and Mail, Andrea Woo reports.

A naloxone anti-overdose kit is shown in Vancouver on Feb. 10, 2017. JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
To read the complete article by Andrea Woo, visit The Globe and Mail, here.
Skewed perceptions of drugs and people who use them negatively affect both health and health care by feeding into harmful prohibitionist policies and sometimes directly affecting clinical care, according to a new international report that aims to counter such prejudices.
The report, titled The World Drug PERCEPTI

"I chose to do this to reinforce confidence that PrEP works even in “high risk” events.," says Jason Domino. From OutNews Global, Andy West reports.

To read the complete story by Andy West and look at some video, visit Out News Global, here.
Jason Domino had sex without a condom with a fellow star with HIV to make a point.
He knew the actor wasn’t on any anti-viral medication and had a high viral load. A viral load is a metric for how much HIV is found in someone’s blood. Jason told OutNews Global: “I knew I wouldn’t get HIV. I chose to do this to reinforce confidence that PrEP works even in “high risk” events.
“My scen

“Is this a signal that they’re moving away from evidence-based policy?" From Healio, this report.

To read the complete story visit Healio, here.
The AIDS czar under former U.S. President Barack Obama worries about the consequences of the Trump administration’s recent termination of the last members of a presidential HIV/AIDS council.
“Is this a signal that they’re moving away from evidence-based policymaking? That’s what’s troubling,” Jeffrey S. Crowley, MPH, program director of infectious disease initiatives at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

Patient input presents a chance for people living with HIV to have their voices heard by drug regulators

UPCOMING CTAC PATIENT GROUP INPUT CONSULTATIONS
CTAC is calling for people living with HIV to take part in patient consultations so that they can have their voices heard by drug regulators. The first 20 attendees who complete a survey at the end of each session will recieve a $10 gift voucher.
WEDNESDAY 10TH JANUARY 2018, 2:00-3:00 EST:
NEW HIV MEDICATION DOLUTEGRAVIR / RILPIVIRINE - REGISTER HERE.
This informative webinar, led by CTAC Policy Researcher Amanda Fletcher, will discuss the

Britain to push to remain under Brussels supervision - after warning that tens of millions will have to be diverted from developing new drugs to cope with Brexit

Drug giants have warned of 'significant disruption to the supply chain for medicines' NHS Photo Library
Looming disruption to the flow of medicines after Brexit means Britain must seek to stay under EU regulation, senior Government figures have conceded. Ministers are already pushing for the chemicals and aviation industries to remain under Brussels supervision – despite it clashing with Theresa May’s pledge to end oversight by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Now three leading

From the UK, guest author Ant Babajee asks: "What would I tell my newly diagnosed self if I knew on 2 January 2007 what I know now?"

I have been living with HIV for more than 10 years — you might say I am a bit of an HIV old-timer.
As I have just celebrated another year living with HIV, I thought it was a good time to put together some pointers for people who have recently got their news.
What would I tell my newly diagnosed self if I knew on 2 January 2007 what I know now?
The first thing I want to say is:
DON’T PANIC!
Since my diagnosis in 2007, so much has changed in terms of our knowledge about how to preve

From AIDSmap, Michael Carter reports on a French study that associates HIV with an increased prevalence of airway obstruction.

HIV infection is associated with airway obstruction, French investigators report in AIDS. Middle-aged HIV-positive smokers were matched with HIV-negative smokers of the same sex and age. After controlling for potential confounders, the investigators found a significant association between HIV and airway obstruction, an association that persisted after controlling for history of previous serious lung disease. Smoking intensity was also a significant risk factor.
Lung function was measured usi

New York guy Félix Garmendía: "I will not let fear stop me again from living my life."

I wonder if I will finish this piece. Have you ever wondered when you are sad, if writing about it will help you find peace? I have, and it has been my experience that spending the time, effort and contemplation to express these feelings definitely helps.
I’m not unfamiliar with sadness. Like every person with a chronic illness, I have my long dark nights when I feel like I’m wandering around, lost, in the dark. I am bipolar, so sadness can be a bit difficult to battle. Like I have ment

“Unfortunately, data on sexual abuse and bisexual/same-sex behaviors were not collected, and these may be important factors to examine in future research.” From MDmag, this report by George Citroner.

To read the complete article by George Citroner visit MD, here.
Evidence suggests that exposure to certain types of mental and physical stress in adolescence may make it more likely that as adults they will practice behaviors that increase the risk of HIV infection.
A longitudinal study conducted by the University of Michigan over 18 years, from Sept. 1994–May 2013, studied the effects exposure to illicit drug use, and violence had on adolescents in later adulthood. The findings sugge

It shows gaps and fissures within our heath-care delivery system,' activist says of Truvada coverage. From CBC News, this report by Angela Sterritt.

Two-spirit activist Harlan Pruden says First Nations organizations failed Indigenous people by not disseminating enough information about a groundbreaking HIV/AIDS treatment.
When two-spirit organizer and HIV/AIDS activist Harlan Pruden heard the news that the preventative drug PrEP was now available cost-free in B.C. he was elated. "It's phenomenal news that B.C.'s community now has access to this evidence-based, effective HIV prevention intervention," Pruden said.
But he said v

The only things infectious here are the grooves and the grins as Danny and Wiiliam of Love to Love Organization pump up the volume and drive home the message that undetectable really does equal untransmittable: U=U!

Frequenters of the U=U page and some other influential Face Book pages got a treat last weekend when Danny Ssemuli and William Matovu of Uganda’s Love To Love Organization presented the final audio mix of their new song, “U=U”.
LISTEN HERE to the final mix
Readers of PositiveLite.com will remember that Love to Love Organization is a Ugandan NGO providing support for orphans, children and others infected and/or affected by HIV, especially through educational programs designed to allow c

The onset of diabetes was much less likely in people aged 50 and over who started treatment from 2010 onwards, or who started treatment at a higher CD4 cell count, according to this B.C.study. From AIDSmap, Keith Alcorn explains.

People with HIV over the age of 50 are more likely to have developed type 2 diabetes if they started antiretroviral treatment before 1999 or had a longer exposure to older antiretroviral drugs such as stavudine (d4T) or first-generation protease inhibitors such as nelfinavir or indinavir, according to a study of people receiving HIV care in British Columbia, Canada.
The onset of diabetes was much less likely in people aged 50 and over who started treatment from 2010 onwards, or who started tr